Taiwanese fly and flop for fun in Red Bull glider contest

By TAIJING WU
Associated Press

TAICHUNG, Taiwan (AP) — Pilots with homemade gliders in Taiwan launched themselves into a harbor from a 20-foot-high ramp to see who could go the farthest before falling into the waters. It was mostly if not all for fun as thousands of spectators laughed and cheered on 45 teams competing in the Red Bull “Flugtag” event held for the first time on the self-governing island of 23 million people. China claims the island as its own territory. A magnitude 6.8 earthquake in southern Taiwan was felt Sunday during the competition but not strong enough to make anyone flee the venue.